Abstract: Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics of falls/fall injuries among the elderly in Jiangsu Province from 2006 to 2022,and to provide reference for the prevention of falls among the elderly. Methods The elderly patients aged 60 years and above who were hospitalized for the first time in Sentinel Surveillance Hospital from 2006 to 2022 were collected. χ² test was performed with SPSS 26.0 software.Post hoc testing was used to compare pairwise between groups,and the differences between groups were determined based on the adjusted standardized residuals（AR）. The circular distribution method was used to analyze the time distribution characteristics. Results From 2006 to 2022,there were 87 162 cases of falls/fall injuries among the elderly in Jiangsu province,and the ratio of male to female was 0.69∶1.The onset time of fall/fall injury in the elderly was seasonal,and the peak time was from May 8 to February 22 of the following year.From 2006 to 2022,the constituent ratio of fall/fall injury in elderly men in Jiangsu Province showed a decreasing trend,while that in females showed an increasing trend（both P<0.01）. In different age groups,the constituent ratio of fall/fall injury in 60-<70 years old group,70-<80 years old group and ≥90 years old group was increasing（all P<0.01）,while in the group of 80-<90 years old,there was a decreasing trend（P<0.01）. In different educational level,the constituent ratio of fall/fall injury in the elderly with primary school education and above,as well as those with junior high school education,showed an increasing trend（both P<0.01）. In different occupational classifications,the constituent ratio of fall/fall injury in the elderly of farmers,workers and household workers showed a decreasing trend（all P<0.01）,the constituent ratio of professional and technical personnel,retired personnel and other personnel showed an upward trend（all P<0.01）.From 2006 to 2022,the main location of falls/fall injuries among elderly people in Jiangsu Province was at home （65.04%）,and the activities during the occurrence were mainly leisure activities（48.99%）. Conclusion The majority of falls/fall injuries among the elderly in Jiangsu Province from 2006 to 2022 were female,with the age group of onset being mainly in 60-<70 years old,andthe falls/fall injuries occurring at home should be taken as the emphasis of prevention and control,it is suggested that corresponding intervention measures should be made for the high-risk population to reduce the incidence of falls/fall injuries in the elderly.

Key words: Old people, Fall/fall injury, Epidemic characteristics, Circular distribution